6:48 AM ET THE HOUSTON ROCKETS‘ culture in the James Harden era, which bridges two owners and now four head coaches, might be best summed up by a former staffer’s three words: “Whatever James wants.” Unless they were on the front end of a back-to-back set, it was essentially a sure thing that the Rockets
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4:48 PM ET Jeremy WillisESPN.com On social media, you don’t have to look long for an edited photo of James Harden in a Miami Heat uniform. Or, scroll a bit further and see a graphic announcing a scholarship offer for a recruit to Alabama or USC. Or follow every Sunday as teams get closer to
11:45 PM ET Houston Rockets superstar James Harden made his preseason debut Tuesday night but has yet to speak to the media since requesting a trade and briefly holding out of training camp. Harden, who was cleared to practice Monday, is in violation of the NBA’s media access rules after declining to make himself available
7:27 PM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James and Anthony Davis will take the court in Wednesday’s preseason game against the Phoenix Suns, marking their first NBA action since winning the championship, Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Tuesday. “I do plan on playing AD and LeBron some first-half minutes, but just to kind
1:30 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Back-to-back NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has committed to the Milwaukee Bucks long-term. Antetokounmpo agreed to sign a five-year, $228 million supermax extension with the Bucks on Tuesday, he announced on Twitter, with the terms being confirmed by agent Alex Saratsis to ESPN. The deal includes an opt out after the
1:38 PM ET Luka Doncic has separated himself from Giannis Antetokounmpo and emerged as the consensus favorite to win the regular-season MVP at U.S. sportsbooks, and bettors are flocking to the Dallas Mavericks‘ young superstar. On Nov. 10, Doncic and Antetokounmpo opened as +550 co-favorites at Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill. Since then, Doncic has
11:15 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN When Zion Williamson told reporters about not having any sort of restrictions on him this season, he was happy. The smile on his face was bright and his happiness shined through on the video call last week. After the New Orleans Pelicans‘ 114-92 win over the Miami Heat in their
7:33 PM ET Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and No. 2 overall draft pick James Wiseman participated in their first practice of the season Monday after sitting out the first week of training camp while following league protocols. The Warriors never formally announced the reason for Green’s and Wiseman’s absences because of league rules,
3:57 PM ET First-year Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas said he had a “good conversation” with James Harden before the perennial All-Star’s first practice of the season Monday, but they did not discuss Harden’s reported desire to be traded. “You can ask him about his commitment and all that sort of thing,” said Silas, who
2:39 PM ET NEW YORK — After weeks of using Instagram stories and written statements as his primary communication methods, Kyrie Irving spoke to reporters Monday morning after Brooklyn Nets practice and reflected on playing for the first time since February, being on the court with Kevin Durant and why he chose to violate the
12:09 PM ET AP Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons waived guard LiAngelo Ball and forwards Louis King and Anthony Lamb. The Pistons announced the moves Monday. King played on a two-way contract with the Pistons last season. Lamb and Ball were signed earlier this month. Ball is the
7:59 AM ET Ramona Shelburne Close ESPN Senior Writer Senior writer for ESPN.com Spent seven years at the Los Angeles Daily News Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 The arrival of John Wall has left All-NBA guard James Harden unmoved and uninterested in pursuing a new
7:08 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN After a chaotic offseason that saw the NBA draft and free agency compressed into a single week — followed almost immediately by abbreviated training camps amid teams adjusting to newly implemented COVID-19 testing protocols — the chase is on to see if the Los Angeles Lakers will be able to
1:36 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Second-year guard Talen Horton-Tucker‘s outstanding second game of the preseason already has Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel scratching his head about his rotation. “It’s going to make my job difficult for sure,” Vogel said when asked how he’ll find a role for Horton-Tucker after he dominated the LA
11:27 PM ET NEW YORK — After a year and a half of Achilles rehabilitation, Kevin Durant returned to the basketball court for the first time on Sunday night for the Brooklyn Nets preseason game against the Washington Wizards. “I was anxious, nervous,” Durant said afterward. “I visualized this moment for so long. Nine, ten
8:17 AM ET The 2020-21 NBA season has arrived. Preseason games tipped off last week, and the regular season is scheduled to begin Dec. 22, just 71 days after the NBA Finals ended. After successfully finishing the 2019-20 season in a bubble environment at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, the league —
1:34 AM ET Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are back. For the first time in more than nine months, Curry and his team were back on an NBA floor in a 107-105 preseason win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. Curry went 3-for-10 from the field, scoring 10 points in 21 minutes,
4:11 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Saturday that he is unsure the team’s biggest addition this offseason, center Tristan Thompson, will be ready to play in time for Boston’s season opener at home against the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 23. “I think that’s hard to say right now,” Stevens said after